How Acupuncture Works To Provide Lower Back Pain ReliefAuthor: TimAcupuncture is one of the oldest curing applications that may give lower back pain relief. It has been initiated in China and been proven safe and effective by many patients. It is considered a component of complimentary and alternative medicine. More than two millenniums have passed and yet its popularity is still growing. The most important objective of acupuncture is to reinstate and preserve health by inclusion of very thin hair-like needles to different depths, throughout the skin at considered points on the body. Studies prove that acupuncture can give a numerous health benefits from helping with chemotherapy induced nausea to diminishing pain. Pain presents additional verification that acupuncture is a safe and is known to be an effective process for lower back pain. It can also sustain positive results for periods of 6 months or more without creating negative side-effects, and that it frequently go with more traditional pain medication. How the Process Works? A typical acupuncture treatment transmits energy in regular modes throughout and over the body’s surface. These channels works like streams of water flowing throughout the body to hydrate and nurture the cells and tissues. A barrier to free movement of the energies acts like a blocked dam. These channels can be manipulated by inserting needles that assist unblock the “dam” blockages and restore the usual flow of energies throughout the channels. This process helps correct disproportions in digestion, absorption, energy production activities, and the general energy circulation throughout the channels. How to relieve back pain? It’s scientifically clarified that acupuncture needle points motivate the nervous system by discharging substances to the muscles of the spinal cord and brain. As a result, there is a relief for low back pain. The chemicals act by altering the entire pain experience or activating the discharge of other hormones and chemicals that authorize the body’s internal controlling system. Moreover, the body’s normal healing skills are improved; thus, promotes ones overall health. Benefits and Downsides of Acupuncture Treatment for Lower Back Pain Benefits: Acupuncture has a track record running more than 2000 years. So, if you seek for some alternative for your lower back pain relief, then consider this one. The procedure loosens up the body muscles alleviating lower back pain at the same time stimulates the body to cure itself. Daily stresses accumulated to the body through lack of work out trauma and poor diet deteriorate the immune system leaving an individual vulnerable to sicknesses and bodily aches and pains. Acupuncture helps in enhancing blood circulation eliminating blockages to the involved areas that are working insufficiently and relieving lower back pain. Pregnancy distress consisting pelvic and lower back pain are also medicated effectively with acupuncture. Studies revealed that around 25% of pregnant women search for medical attention for lower back pain associated to pregnancy. The necessary treatment given might include physical therapy, which has been confirmed to be effective in relieving lower back pain throughout pregnancy and amend delivery. Downsides: Acupuncture is an excellent alternative than the usual treatments to attain a more lasting lower back pain relief. Acupuncture is normally known as safe and effective
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How Acupuncture Works To Provide Lower Back Pain Relief | Health …
How Acupuncture Works To Provide Lower Back Pain ReliefAuthor: TimAcupuncture is one of the oldest curing applications that may give lower back pain relief. It has been initiated in China and been proven safe and effective by many patients. It is considered a component of complimentary and alternative medicine. More than two millenniums have passed and yet its popularity is still growing. The most important objective of acupuncture is to reinstate and preserve health by inclusion of very thin hair-like needles to different depths, throughout the skin at considered points on the body. Studies prove that acupuncture can give a numerous health benefits from helping with chemotherapy induced nausea to diminishing pain. Pain presents additional verification that acupuncture is a safe and is known to be an effective process for lower back pain. It can also sustain positive results for periods of 6 months or more without creating negative side-effects, and that it frequently go with more traditional pain medication. How the Process Works? A typical acupuncture treatment transmits energy in regular modes throughout and over the body’s surface. These channels works like streams of water flowing throughout the body to hydrate and nurture the cells and tissues. A barrier to free movement of the energies acts like a blocked dam. These channels can be manipulated by inserting needles that assist unblock the “dam” blockages and restore the usual flow of energies throughout the channels. This process helps correct disproportions in digestion, absorption, energy production activities, and the general energy circulation throughout the channels. How to relieve back pain? It’s scientifically clarified that acupuncture needle points motivate the nervous system by discharging substances to the muscles of the spinal cord and brain. As a result, there is a relief for low back pain. The chemicals act by altering the entire pain experience or activating the discharge of other hormones and chemicals that authorize the body’s internal controlling system. Moreover, the body’s normal healing skills are improved; thus, promotes ones overall health. Benefits and Downsides of Acupuncture Treatment for Lower Back Pain Benefits: Acupuncture has a track record running more than 2000 years. So, if you seek for some alternative for your lower back pain relief, then consider this one. The procedure loosens up the body muscles alleviating lower back pain at the same time stimulates the body to cure itself. Daily stresses accumulated to the body through lack of work out trauma and poor diet deteriorate the immune system leaving an individual vulnerable to sicknesses and bodily aches and pains. Acupuncture helps in enhancing blood circulation eliminating blockages to the involved areas that are working insufficiently and relieving lower back pain. Pregnancy distress consisting pelvic and lower back pain are also medicated effectively with acupuncture. Studies revealed that around 25% of pregnant women search for medical attention for lower back pain associated to pregnancy. The necessary treatment given might include physical therapy, which has been confirmed to be effective in relieving lower back pain throughout pregnancy and amend delivery. Downsides: Acupuncture is an excellent alternative than the usual treatments to attain a more lasting lower back pain relief. Acupuncture is normally known as safe and effective if done by a knowledgeable, certified acupuncture practitioner. Probable side effects and complications may take place; but, it is very seldom to happen. The most possible problem that may arise due to acupuncture is bleeding, soreness, infection or bruising at the needle sites. Acupuncture is not a cure and not everybody reacts to acupuncture for low back pain relief. If your back does not start to improve around a few weeks, acupuncture might not be the accurate treatment for you. But, if you still consider acupuncture to obtain lower back pain relief; then, talk with your doctor and let him submit you to an acupuncturist. Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ezine/5738012 You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
Vets endure secret drug experiments
Soldiers used as test subjects seek help STORY HIGHLIGHTS Tim Josephs blames secret Army program for health issues, including Parkinson’s disease Facility tested potentially lethal gases, narcotics and LSD on animals and humans Cold War research initially aimed to defend against Soviet chemical or biological attack The VA has contacted and offered free medical evaluations to thousands of veterans (CNN) — The moment 18-year-old Army Pvt. Tim Josephs arrived at Edgewood Arsenal in 1968, he knew there was something different about the place. “It just did not look like a military base, more like a hospital,” recalled Josephs, a Pittsburgh native. Josephs had volunteered for a two-month assignment at Edgewood, in Maryland, lured by three-day weekends closer to home. “It was like a plum assignment,” Josephs said. “The idea was they would test new Army field jackets, clothing, weapons and things of that nature, but no mention of drugs or chemicals.” But when he went to fill out paperwork the morning after his arrival, the base personnel were wearing white lab coats, and Josephs said he had second thoughts. An officer took him aside. “He said, ‘You volunteered for this. You’re going to do it. If you don’t, you’re going to jail. You’re going to Vietnam either way — before or after,’” Josephs said recently. Before & after: Wray Forrest, 1973 Wray Forrest, 2008 Tim Josephs: 1968 Tim Josephs: 2012 Bill Blazinski: 1967 Bill Blazinski: 2012 Frank Rochelle: 1969 Frank Rochelle: 2012 HIDE CAPTION From 1955 to 1975, military researchers at Edgewood were using not only animals but human subjects to test a witches’ brew of drugs and chemicals. They ranged from potentially lethal nerve gases like VX and sarin to incapacitating agents like BZ. Read the secret (now unclassified) Army document revealing BZ tests on soldiers (PDF) The military also tested tear gas, barbiturates, tranquilizers, narcotics and hallucinogens like LSD. Read the confidential (now unclassified) Army document uncovering LSD tests on volunteers (PDF) This top secret Cold War research program initially looked for ways to defend against a chemical or biological attack by the Soviet Union, thought to be far ahead of the United States in “psycho-chemical” warfare. But the research expanded into offensive chemical weapons, including one that could, according to one Army film obtained by CNN, deliver a “veritable chemical ambush” against an enemy. “This incapacitating agent would be dispersed by standard munitions, and the agent would enter the building through all nonprotected openings,” the film’s narrator boasts. President Nixon ended research into offensive chemical weapons …
Vets endure secret drug experiments
Soldiers used as test subjects seek help STORY HIGHLIGHTS Tim Josephs blames secret Army program for health issues, including Parkinson’s disease Facility tested potentially lethal gases, narcotics and LSD on animals and humans Cold War research initially aimed to defend against Soviet chemical or biological attack The VA has contacted and offered free medical evaluations to thousands of veterans (CNN) — The moment 18-year-old Army Pvt. Tim Josephs arrived at Edgewood Arsenal in 1968, he knew there was something different about the place. “It just did not look like a military base, more like a hospital,” recalled Josephs, a Pittsburgh native. Josephs had volunteered for a two-month assignment at Edgewood, in Maryland, lured by three-day weekends closer to home. “It was like a plum assignment,” Josephs said. “The idea was they would test new Army field jackets, clothing, weapons and things of that nature, but no mention of drugs or chemicals.” But when he went to fill out paperwork the morning after his arrival, the base personnel were wearing white lab coats, and Josephs said he had second thoughts. An officer took him aside. “He said, ‘You volunteered for this. You’re going to do it. If you don’t, you’re going to jail. You’re going to Vietnam either way — before or after,’” Josephs said recently. Before & after: Wray Forrest, 1973 Wray Forrest, 2008 Tim Josephs: 1968 Tim Josephs: 2012 Bill Blazinski: 1967 Bill Blazinski: 2012 Frank Rochelle: 1969 Frank Rochelle: 2012 HIDE CAPTION From 1955 to 1975, military researchers at Edgewood were using not only animals but human subjects to test a witches’ brew of drugs and chemicals. They ranged from potentially lethal nerve gases like VX and sarin to incapacitating agents like BZ. Read the secret (now unclassified) Army document revealing BZ tests on soldiers (PDF) The military also tested tear gas, barbiturates, tranquilizers, narcotics and hallucinogens like LSD. Read the confidential (now unclassified) Army document uncovering LSD tests on volunteers (PDF) This top secret Cold War research program initially looked for ways to defend against a chemical or biological attack by the Soviet Union, thought to be far ahead of the United States in “psycho-chemical” warfare. But the research expanded into offensive chemical weapons, including one that could, according to one Army film obtained by CNN, deliver a “veritable chemical ambush” against an enemy. “This incapacitating agent would be dispersed by standard munitions, and the agent would enter the building through all nonprotected openings,” the film’s narrator boasts. President Nixon ended research into offensive chemical weapons in 1969, and the military no longer uses human subjects in research on chemical agents, said a spokesman for Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, as the facility is known now. Tests began for Josephs almost as soon as he arrived at Edgewood for a two-month assignment on January 1, 1968. “Sometimes it was an injection. Other times it was a pill,” Josephs told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Josephs said he didn’t know what drugs he was getting. “A lot of chemicals were referred to as agent one or agent two.” Some weeks, he would undergo one test; other weeks, more, Josephs said. And when he questioned the staff about whether he was in any danger, they reassured him: “There is nothing here that could ever harm you.” But Josephs, 63, believes the chemical agents he received during his two-month stint at Edgewood did harm him, triggering health problems that continue to plague him four decades later. Even when he talks about Edgewood, he said, “I get a tightness in my chest.” Parkinson’s symptoms Days before his Edgewood duty ended, in February 1968, Josephs was hospitalized for days with Parkinson’s-like tremors, symptoms he said have followed him on and off throughout his adult life. In 1968, Tim Josephs was told he would be testing gas masks, boots and other clothing, he said. From Edgewood, Josephs said he went to an Army installation in Georgia, where he experienced tremors so severe, he had to be admitted to the base hospital and given muscle relaxers. The Army then sent Josephs to Air Force bases in Thailand, in support of the war effort in Vietnam. He was told never to talk about his experiences at Edgewood and to forget about everything he ever did, said or heard at the Maryland base. Josephs left the service when his three-year tour ended, and he began a career as a real estate agent. He married Michelle, a nurse, in 1977, but the couple decided not to have children, fearing his chemical exposure might somehow affect them. In his mid-50s, Josephs was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological condition that forced him to retire early. Medications cost $2,000 a month, which he was paying for out of pocket. Josephs applied for veterans benefits based on chemical exposure at Edgewood. Last year, the Department of Veterans Affairs granted him partial benefits for his Parkinson’s for Agent Orange exposure during his time in Thailand, giving Josephs 40% disability. The letter granting him benefits made no mention of Edgewood. Josephs says he now takes two dozen pills daily. His symptoms vary from day to day. Sometimes, he has trouble swallowing. Other times, he experiences numbness in his joints or or tremors. He says he tires easily. He blames his time at Edgewood for all this, and he has joined a lawsuit on behalf of Edgewood veterans seeking medical benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Read the lawsuit…
Vets endure secret drug experiments
Soldiers used as test subjects seek help STORY HIGHLIGHTS Tim Josephs blames secret Army program for health issues, including Parkinson’s disease Facility tested potentially lethal gases, narcotics and LSD on animals and humans Cold War research initially aimed to defend against Soviet chemical or biological attack The VA has contacted and offered free medical evaluations to thousands of veterans (CNN) — The moment 18-year-old Army Pvt. Tim Josephs arrived at Edgewood Arsenal in 1968, he knew there was something different about the place. “It just did not look like a military base, more like a hospital,” recalled Josephs, a Pittsburgh native. Josephs had volunteered for a two-month assignment at Edgewood, in Maryland, lured by three-day weekends closer to home. “It was like a plum assignment,” Josephs said. “The idea was they would test new Army field jackets, clothing, weapons and things of that nature, but no mention of drugs or chemicals.” But when he went to fill out paperwork the morning after his arrival, the base personnel were wearing white lab coats, and Josephs said he had second thoughts. An officer took him aside. “He said, ‘You volunteered for this. You’re going to do it. If you don’t, you’re going to jail. You’re going to Vietnam either way — before or after,’” Josephs said recently. Before & after: Wray Forrest, 1973 Wray Forrest, 2008 Tim Josephs: 1968 Tim Josephs: 2012 Bill Blazinski: 1967 Bill Blazinski: 2012 Frank Rochelle: 1969 Frank Rochelle: 2012 HIDE CAPTION From 1955 to 1975, military researchers at Edgewood were using not only animals but human subjects to test a witches’ brew of drugs and chemicals. They ranged from potentially lethal nerve gases like VX and sarin to incapacitating agents like BZ. Read the secret (now unclassified) Army document revealing BZ tests on soldiers (PDF) The military also tested tear gas, barbiturates, tranquilizers, narcotics and hallucinogens like LSD. Read the confidential (now unclassified) Army document uncovering LSD tests on volunteers (PDF) This top secret Cold War research program initially looked for ways to defend against a chemical or biological attack by the Soviet Union, thought to be far ahead of the United States in “psycho-chemical” warfare. But the research expanded into offensive chemical weapons, including one that could, according to one Army film obtained by CNN, deliver a “veritable chemical ambush” against an enemy. “This incapacitating agent would be dispersed by standard munitions, and the agent would enter the building through all nonprotected openings,” the film’s narrator boasts. President Nixon ended research into offensive chemical weapons in 1969, and the military no longer uses human subjects in research on chemical agents, said a spokesman for Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, as the facility is known now. Tests began for Josephs almost as soon as he arrived at Edgewood for a two-month assignment on January 1, 1968. “Sometimes it was an injection. Other times it was a pill,” Josephs told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Josephs said he didn’t know what drugs he was getting. “A lot of chemicals were referred to as agent one or agent two.” Some weeks, he would undergo one test; other weeks, more, Josephs said. And when he questioned the staff about whether he was in any danger, they reassured him: “There is nothing here that could ever harm you.” But Josephs, 63, believes the chemical agents he received during his two-month stint at Edgewood did harm him, triggering health problems that continue to plague him four decades later. Even when he talks about Edgewood, he said, “I get a tightness in my chest.” Parkinson’s symptoms Days before his Edgewood duty ended, in February 1968, Josephs was hospitalized for days with Parkinson’s-like tremors, symptoms he said have followed him on and off throughout his adult life. In 1968, Tim Josephs was told he would be testing gas masks, boots and other clothing, he said. From Edgewood, Josephs said he went to an Army installation in Georgia, where he experienced tremors so severe, he had to be admitted to the base hospital and given muscle relaxers. The Army then sent Josephs to Air Force bases in Thailand, in support of the war effort in Vietnam. He was told never to talk about his experiences at Edgewood and to forget about everything he ever did, said or heard at the Maryland base. Josephs left the service when his three-year tour ended, and he began a career as a real estate agent. He married Michelle, a nurse, in 1977, but the couple decided not to have children, fearing his chemical exposure might somehow affect them. In his mid-50s, Josephs was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological condition that forced him to retire early. Medications cost $2,000 a month, which he was paying for out of pocket. Josephs applied for veterans benefits based on chemical exposure at Edgewood. Last year, the Department of Veterans Affairs granted him partial benefits for his Parkinson’s for Agent Orange exposure during his time in Thailand, giving Josephs 40% disability. The letter granting him benefits made no mention of Edgewood. Josephs says he now takes two dozen pills daily. His symptoms vary from day to day. Sometimes, he has trouble swallowing. Other times, he experiences numbness in his joints or or tremors. He says he tires easily. He blames his time at Edgewood for all this, and he has joined a lawsuit on behalf of Edgewood veterans seeking medical benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Read the lawsuit complaint document (PDF) Read about an Edgewood volunteer’s widow who blames the VA for his death … They gave him such high doses that he … in the vernacular, he flipped out.Gordon Erspamer, lead attorney in suit against VA Gordon Erspamer, lead attorney in the suit, has reviewed the partial Edgewood medical records that Josephs was able to obtain with the help of his wife. Erspamer said Josephs probably received an injection of sarin or another nerve gas, because the records show that he received the drug P2S on February 1, 1968, to treat “organophosphate poisoning.” During experiments that began on February 19, 1968, Josephs experienced Parkinson’s-like tremors after receiving Prolixin, an antipsychotic medication, Erspamer said, prompting the Edgewood medical staff to give the young soldier Congentin and Artane…
Vets endure secret drug experiments
Soldiers used as test subjects seek help STORY HIGHLIGHTS Tim Josephs blames secret Army program for health issues, including Parkinson’s disease Facility tested potentially lethal gases, narcotics and LSD on animals and humans Cold War research initially aimed to defend against Soviet chemical or biological attack The VA has contacted and offered free medical evaluations to thousands of veterans (CNN) — The moment 18-year-old Army Pvt. Tim Josephs arrived at Edgewood Arsenal in 1968, he knew there was something different about the place. “It just did not look like a military base, more like a hospital,” recalled Josephs, a Pittsburgh native. Josephs had volunteered for a two-month assignment at Edgewood, in Maryland, lured by three-day weekends closer to home. “It was like a plum assignment,” Josephs said. “The idea was they would test new Army field jackets, clothing, weapons and things of that nature, but no mention of drugs or chemicals.” But when he went to fill out paperwork the morning after his arrival, the base personnel were wearing white lab coats, and Josephs said he had second thoughts. An officer took him aside. “He said, ‘You volunteered for this. You’re going to do it. If you don’t, you’re going to jail. You’re going to Vietnam either way — before or after,’” Josephs said recently. Before & after: Wray Forrest, 1973 Wray Forrest, 2008 Tim Josephs: 1968 Tim Josephs: 2012 Bill Blazinski: 1967 Bill Blazinski: 2012 Frank Rochelle: 1969 Frank Rochelle: 2012 HIDE CAPTION From 1955 to 1975, military researchers at Edgewood were using not only animals but human subjects to test a witches’ brew of drugs and chemicals. They ranged from potentially lethal nerve gases like VX and sarin to incapacitating agents like BZ. Read the secret (now unclassified) Army document revealing BZ tests on soldiers (PDF) The military also tested tear gas, barbiturates, tranquilizers, narcotics and hallucinogens like LSD. Read the confidential (now unclassified) Army document uncovering LSD tests on volunteers (PDF) This top secret Cold War research program initially looked for ways to defend against a chemical or biological attack by the Soviet Union, thought to be far ahead of the United States in “psycho-chemical” warfare. But the research expanded into offensive chemical weapons, including one that could, according to one Army film obtained by CNN, deliver a “veritable chemical ambush” against an enemy. “This incapacitating agent would be dispersed by standard munitions, and the agent would enter the building through all nonprotected openings,” the film’s narrator boasts. President Nixon ended research into offensive chemical weapons in 1969, and the military no longer uses human subjects in research on chemical agents, said a spokesman for Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, as the facility is known now. Tests began for Josephs almost as soon as he arrived at Edgewood for a two-month assignment on January 1, 1968. “Sometimes it was an injection. Other times it was a pill,” Josephs told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Josephs said he didn’t know what drugs he was getting. “A lot of chemicals were referred to as agent one or agent two.” Some weeks, he would …
Vets endure secret drug experiments
Soldiers used as test subjects seek help STORY HIGHLIGHTS Tim Josephs blames secret Army program for health issues, including Parkinson’s disease Facility tested potentially lethal gases, narcotics and LSD on animals and humans Cold War research initially aimed to defend against Soviet chemical or biological attack The VA has contacted and offered free medical evaluations to thousands of veterans (CNN) — The moment 18-year-old Army Pvt. Tim Josephs arrived at Edgewood Arsenal in 1968, he knew there was something different about the place. “It just did not look like a military base, more like a hospital,” recalled Josephs, a Pittsburgh native. Josephs had volunteered for a two-month assignment at Edgewood, in Maryland, lured by three-day weekends closer to home. “It was like a plum assignment,” Josephs said. “The idea was they would test new Army field jackets, clothing, weapons and things of that nature, but no mention of drugs or chemicals.” But when he went to fill out paperwork the morning after his arrival, the base personnel were wearing white lab coats, and Josephs said he had second thoughts. An officer took him aside. “He said, ‘You volunteered for this. You’re going to do it. If you don’t, you’re going to jail. You’re going to Vietnam either way — before or after,’” Josephs said recently. Before & after: Wray Forrest, 1973 Wray Forrest, 2008 Tim Josephs: 1968 Tim Josephs: 2012 Bill Blazinski: 1967 Bill Blazinski: 2012 Frank Rochelle: 1969 Frank Rochelle: 2012 HIDE CAPTION From 1955 to 1975, military researchers at Edgewood were using not only animals but human subjects to test a witches’ brew of drugs and chemicals. They ranged from potentially lethal nerve gases like VX and sarin to incapacitating agents like BZ. Read the secret (now unclassified) Army document revealing BZ tests on soldiers (PDF) The military also tested tear gas, barbiturates, tranquilizers, narcotics and hallucinogens like LSD. Read the confidential (now unclassified) Army document uncovering LSD tests on volunteers (PDF) This top secret Cold War research program initially looked for ways to defend against a chemical or biological attack by the Soviet Union, thought to be far ahead of the United States in “psycho-chemical” warfare. But the research expanded into offensive chemical weapons, including one that could, according to one Army film obtained by CNN, deliver a “veritable chemical ambush” against an enemy. “This incapacitating agent would be dispersed by standard munitions, and the agent would enter the building through all nonprotected openings,” the film’s narrator boasts. President Nixon ended research into offensive chemical weapons in 1969, and the military no longer uses human subjects in research on chemical agents, said a spokesman for Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, as the facility is known now. Tests began for Josephs almost as soon as he arrived at Edgewood for a two-month assignment on January 1, 1968. “Sometimes it was an injection. Other times it was a pill,” Josephs told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Josephs said he didn’t know what drugs he was getting. “A lot of chemicals were referred to as agent one or agent two.” Some weeks, he would undergo one test; other weeks, more, Josephs said. And when he questioned the staff about whether he was in any danger, they reassured him: “There is nothing here that could ever harm you.” But Josephs, 63, believes the chemical agents he received during his two-month stint at Edgewood did harm him, triggering health problems that continue to plague him four decades later. Even when he talks about Edgewood, he said, “I get a tightness in my chest.” Parkinson’s symptoms Days before his Edgewood duty ended, in February 1968, Josephs was hospitalized for days with Parkinson’s-like tremors, symptoms he said have followed him on and off throughout his adult life. In 1968, Tim Josephs was told he would be testing gas masks, boots and other clothing, he said. From Edgewood, Josephs said he went to an Army installation in Georgia, where he experienced tremors so severe, he had to be admitted to the base hospital and given muscle relaxers. The Army then sent Josephs to Air Force bases in Thailand, in support of the war effort in Vietnam. He was told never to talk about his experiences at Edgewood and to forget about everything he ever did, said or heard at the Maryland base. Josephs left the service when his three-year tour ended, and he began a career as a real estate agent. He married Michelle, a nurse, in 1977, but the couple decided not to have children, fearing his chemical exposure might somehow affect them. In his mid-50s, Josephs was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological condition that forced him to retire early. Medications cost $2,000 a month, which he was paying for out of pocket. Josephs applied for veterans benefits based on chemical exposure at Edgewood. Last year, the Department of Veterans Affairs granted him partial benefits for his Parkinson’s for Agent Orange exposure during his time in Thailand, giving Josephs 40% disability. The letter granting him benefits made no mention of Edgewood. Josephs says he now takes…
Vets endure secret drug experiments
Soldiers used as test subjects seek help STORY HIGHLIGHTS Tim Josephs blames secret Army program for health issues, including Parkinson’s disease Facility tested potentially lethal gases, narcotics and LSD on animals and humans Cold War research initially aimed to defend against Soviet chemical or biological attack The VA has contacted and offered free medical evaluations to thousands of veterans (CNN) — The moment 18-year-old Army Pvt. Tim Josephs arrived at Edgewood Arsenal in 1968, he knew there was something different about the place. “It just did not look like a military base, more like a hospital,” recalled Josephs, a Pittsburgh native. Josephs had volunteered for a two-month assignment at Edgewood, in Maryland, lured by three-day weekends closer to home. “It was like a plum assignment,” Josephs said. “The idea was they would test new Army field jackets, clothing, weapons and things of that nature, but no mention of drugs or chemicals.” But when he went to fill out paperwork the morning after his arrival, the base personnel were wearing white lab coats, and Josephs said he had second thoughts. An officer took him aside. “He said, ‘You volunteered for this. You’re going to do it. If you don’t, you’re going to jail. You’re going to Vietnam either way — before or after,’” Josephs said recently. Before & after: Wray Forrest, 1973 Wray Forrest, 2008 Tim Josephs: 1968 Tim Josephs: 2012 Bill Blazinski: 1967 Bill Blazinski: 2012 Frank Rochelle: 1969 Frank Rochelle: 2012 HIDE CAPTION From 1955 to 1975, military researchers at Edgewood were using not only animals but human subjects to test a witches’ brew of drugs and chemicals. They ranged from potentially lethal nerve gases like VX and sarin to incapacitating agents like BZ. Read the secret (now unclassified) Army document revealing BZ tests on soldiers (PDF) The military also tested tear gas, barbiturates, tranquilizers, narcotics and hallucinogens like LSD. Read the confidential (now unclassified) Army document uncovering LSD tests on volunteers (PDF) This top secret Cold War research program initially looked for ways to defend against a chemical or biological attack by the Soviet Union, thought to be far ahead of the United States in “psycho-chemical” warfare. But the research expanded into offensive chemical weapons, including one that could, according to one Army film obtained by CNN, deliver a “veritable chemical ambush” against an enemy. “This incapacitating agent would be dispersed by standard munitions, and the agent would enter the building through all nonprotected openings,” the film’s narrator boasts. President Nixon ended research into offensive chemical weapons in 1969, and the military no longer uses human subjects in research on chemical agents, said a spokesman for Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, as the facility is known now. Tests began for Josephs almost as soon as he arrived at Edgewood for a two-month assignment on January 1, 1968. “Sometimes it was an injection. Other times it was a pill,” Josephs told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Josephs said he didn’t know what drugs he was getting. “A lot of chemicals were referred to as agent one or agent two.” Some weeks, he would undergo one test; other weeks, more, Josephs said. And when he questioned the staff about whether he was in any danger, they reassured him: “There is nothing here that could ever harm you.” But Josephs, 63, believes the chemical agents he received during his two-month stint at Edgewood did harm him, triggering health problems that continue to plague him four decades later. Even when he talks about Edgewood, he said, “I get a tightness in my chest.” Parkinson’s symptoms Days before his Edgewood duty ended, in February 1968, Josephs was hospitalized for days with Parkinson’s-like tremors, symptoms he said have followed him on and off throughout his adult life. In 1968, Tim Josephs was told he would be testing gas masks, boots and other clothing, he said. From Edgewood, Josephs said he went to an Army installation in Georgia, where he experienced tremors so severe, he had to be admitted to the base hospital and given muscle relaxers. The Army then sent Josephs to Air Force bases in Thailand, in support of the war effort in Vietnam. He was told never to talk about his experiences at Edgewood and to forget about everything he ever did, said or heard at the Maryland base. Josephs left the service when his three-year tour …
Vets endure secret drug experiments
Soldiers used as test subjects seek help STORY HIGHLIGHTS Tim Josephs blames secret Army program for health issues, including Parkinson’s disease Facility tested potentially lethal gases, narcotics and LSD on animals and humans Cold War research initially aimed to defend against Soviet chemical or biological attack The VA has contacted and offered free medical evaluations to thousands of veterans (CNN) — The moment 18-year-old Army Pvt. Tim Josephs arrived at Edgewood Arsenal in 1968, he knew there was something different about the place. “It just did not look like a military base, more like a hospital,” recalled Josephs, a Pittsburgh native. Josephs had volunteered for a two-month assignment at Edgewood, in Maryland, lured by three-day weekends closer to home. “It was like a plum assignment,” Josephs said. “The idea was they would test new Army field jackets, clothing, weapons and things of that nature, but no mention of drugs or chemicals.” But when he went to fill out paperwork the morning after his arrival, the base personnel were wearing white lab coats, and Josephs said he had second thoughts. An officer took him aside. “He said, ‘You volunteered for this. You’re going to do it. If you don’t, you’re going to jail. You’re going to Vietnam either way — before or after,’” Josephs said recently. Before & after: Wray Forrest, 1973 Wray Forrest, 2008 Tim Josephs: 1968 Tim Josephs: 2012 Bill Blazinski: 1967 Bill Blazinski: 2012 Frank Rochelle: 1969 Frank Rochelle: 2012 HIDE CAPTION From 1955 to 1975, military researchers at Edgewood were using not only animals but human subjects to test a witches’ brew of drugs and chemicals. They ranged from potentially lethal nerve gases like VX and sarin to incapacitating agents like BZ. Read the secret (now unclassified) Army document revealing BZ tests on soldiers (PDF) The military also tested tear gas, barbiturates, tranquilizers, narcotics and hallucinogens like LSD. Read the confidential (now unclassified) Army document uncovering LSD tests on volunteers (PDF) This top secret Cold War research program initially looked for ways to defend against a chemical or biological attack by the Soviet Union, thought to be far ahead of the United States in “psycho-chemical” warfare. But the research expanded into offensive chemical weapons, including one that could, according to one Army film obtained by CNN, deliver a “veritable chemical ambush” against an enemy. “This incapacitating agent would be dispersed by standard munitions, and the agent would enter the building through all nonprotected openings,” the film’s narrator boasts. President Nixon ended research into offensive chemical weapons in 1969, and the military no longer uses human subjects in research on chemical agents, said a spokesman for Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, as the facility is known now. Tests began for Josephs almost as soon as he arrived at Edgewood for a two-month assignment on January 1, 1968. “Sometimes it was an injection. Other times it was a pill,” Josephs told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Josephs said he didn’t know what drugs he was getting. “A lot of chemicals were referred to as agent one or agent two.” Some weeks, he would undergo one test; other weeks, more, Josephs said. And when he questioned the staff about whether he was in any danger, they reassured him: “There is nothing here that could ever harm you.” But Josephs, 63, believes the chemical agents he received during his two-month stint at Edgewood did harm him, triggering health problems that continue to plague him four decades later. Even when he talks about Edgewood, he said, “I get a tightness in my chest.” Parkinson’s symptoms Days before his Edgewood duty ended, in February 1968, Josephs was hospitalized for days with Parkinson’s-like tremors, symptoms he said have followed him on and off throughout his adult life. In 1968, Tim Josephs was told he would be testing gas masks, boots and other clothing, he said. From Edgewood, Josephs said he went to an Army installation in Georgia, where he experienced tremors so severe, he had to be admitted to the base hospital and given muscle relaxers. The Army then sent Josephs to Air Force bases in Thailand, in support of the war effort in Vietnam. He was told never to talk about his experiences at Edgewood and to forget about everything he ever did, said or heard at the Maryland base. Josephs left the service when his three-year tour ended, and he began a career as a real estate agent. He married Michelle, a nurse, in 1977, but the couple decided not to have children, fearing his chemical exposure might somehow affect them. In his mid-50s, Josephs was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological condition that forced him to retire early. Medications cost $2,000 a month, which he was paying for out of pocket. Josephs applied for veterans benefits based on chemical exposure at Edgewood. Last year, the Department of Veterans Affairs granted him partial benefits for his Parkinson’s for Agent Orange exposure during his time in Thailand, giving Josephs 40% disability. The letter granting him benefits made no mention of Edgewood. Josephs says he now takes two dozen pills daily. His symptoms vary from day to day. Sometimes, he has trouble swallowing. Other times, he experiences numbness in his joints or or tremors. He says he tires easily. He blames his time at Edgewood for all this, and he has joined a lawsuit on behalf of Edgewood veterans seeking medical benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Read the lawsuit complaint document (PDF) Read about an Edgewood volunteer’s widow who blames the VA for his death … They gave him such high …
Vets endure secret drug experiments
Soldiers used as test subjects seek help STORY HIGHLIGHTS Tim Josephs blames secret Army program for health issues, including Parkinson’s disease Facility tested potentially lethal gases, narcotics and LSD on animals and humans Cold War research initially aimed to defend against Soviet chemical or biological attack The VA has contacted and offered free medical evaluations to thousands of veterans (CNN) — The moment 18-year-old Army Pvt. Tim Josephs arrived at Edgewood Arsenal in 1968, he knew there was something different about the place. “It just did not look like a military base, more like a hospital,” recalled Josephs, a Pittsburgh native. Josephs had volunteered for a two-month assignment at Edgewood, in Maryland, lured by three-day weekends closer to home. “It was like a plum assignment,” Josephs said. “The idea was they would test new Army field jackets, clothing, weapons and things of that nature, but no mention of drugs or chemicals.” But when he went to fill out paperwork the morning after his arrival, the base personnel were wearing white lab coats, and Josephs said he had second thoughts. An officer took him aside. “He said, ‘You volunteered for this. You’re going to do it. If you don’t, you’re going to jail. You’re going to Vietnam either way — before or after,’” Josephs said recently. Before & after: Wray Forrest, 1973 Wray Forrest, 2008 Tim Josephs: 1968 Tim Josephs: 2012 Bill Blazinski: 1967 Bill Blazinski: 2012 Frank Rochelle: 1969 Frank Rochelle: 2012 HIDE CAPTION From 1955 to 1975, military researchers at Edgewood were using not only animals but human subjects to test a witches’ brew of drugs and chemicals. They ranged from potentially lethal nerve gases like VX and sarin to incapacitating agents like BZ. Read the secret (now unclassified) Army document revealing BZ tests on soldiers (PDF) The military also tested tear gas, barbiturates, tranquilizers, narcotics and hallucinogens like LSD. Read the confidential (now unclassified) Army document uncovering LSD tests on volunteers (PDF) This top secret Cold War research program initially looked for ways to defend against a chemical or biological attack by the Soviet Union, thought to be far ahead of the United States in “psycho-chemical” warfare. But the research expanded into offensive chemical weapons, including one that could, according to one Army film obtained by CNN, deliver a “veritable chemical ambush” against an enemy. “This incapacitating agent would be dispersed by standard munitions, and the agent would enter the building through all nonprotected openings,” the film’s narrator boasts. President Nixon ended research into offensive chemical weapons in 1969, and the military no longer uses human subjects in research on chemical agents, said a spokesman for Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, as the facility is known now. Tests began for Josephs almost as soon as he arrived at Edgewood for a two-month assignment on January 1, 1968. “Sometimes it was an injection. Other times it was a pill,” Josephs told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Josephs said he didn’t know what drugs he was getting. “A lot of chemicals were referred to as agent one or agent two.” Some weeks, he would undergo one test; other weeks, more, Josephs said. And when he questioned the staff about whether he was in any danger, they reassured him: “There is nothing here that could ever harm you.” But Josephs, 63, believes the chemical agents he received during his two-month stint at Edgewood did harm him, triggering health problems that continue to plague him four decades later. Even when he talks about Edgewood, he said, “I get a tightness in my chest.” Parkinson’s symptoms Days before his Edgewood duty ended, in February 1968, Josephs was hospitalized for days with Parkinson’s-like tremors, symptoms he said have followed him on and off throughout his adult life. In 1968, Tim Josephs was told he would be testing gas masks, boots and other clothing, he said. From Edgewood, Josephs said he went to an Army installation in Georgia, where he experienced tremors so severe, he had to be admitted to the base hospital and given muscle relaxers. The Army then sent Josephs to Air Force bases in Thailand, in support of the war effort in Vietnam. He was told never to talk about his experiences at Edgewood and to forget about everything he ever did, said or heard at the Maryland base. Josephs left the service when his three-year tour ended, and he began a career as a real estate agent. He married Michelle, a nurse, in 1977, but the couple decided not to have children, fearing his chemical exposure might somehow affect them. In his mid-50s, Josephs was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological condition that forced him to retire early. Medications cost $2,000 a month, which he was paying for out of pocket. Josephs applied for veterans benefits based on chemical exposure at Edgewood. Last year, the Department of Veterans Affairs granted him partial benefits for his Parkinson’s for Agent Orange exposure during his time in Thailand, giving Josephs 40% disability. The letter granting him benefits made no mention of Edgewood. Josephs says he now takes two dozen pills daily. His symptoms vary from day to day. Sometimes, he has trouble swallowing. Other times, he experiences numbness in his joints or or tremors. He says he tires easily. He blames his time at Edgewood for all this, and he has joined a lawsuit on behalf of Edgewood veterans seeking medical benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Read the lawsuit complaint document (PDF) Read about an Edgewood volunteer’s widow who blames the VA for his death … They gave him such high doses that he … in the vernacular, he flipped out.Gordon Erspamer, lead attorney in suit against VA Gordon Erspamer, lead attorney in the suit, has reviewed the partial Edgewood medical records that Josephs was able to obtain with the help of his wife. Erspamer said Josephs probably received an injection of sarin or another nerve gas, because the records show that he received the drug P2S on February 1, 1968, to treat “organophosphate poisoning.” During experiments that began on February 19, 1968, Josephs experienced Parkinson’s-like tremors after receiving Prolixin, an antipsychotic medication, Erspamer said, prompting the Edgewood medical staff to give the young soldier Congentin and Artane, two drugs used to treat Parkinson’s symptoms. Erspamer said he sees a connection between Josephs’ Parkinson’s disease and the drugs he received at Edgewood. “Those substances affect the same region of the brain,” Erspamer said. “Tim clearly had adverse health effects because they gave him such high doses that he ranged from overdose with one substance to the antidote, back and forth, and …
